Shadow-motion display means



March 25, 1930. A, B LEE-CH v 1,752,014

SHADOW MOTION DISPLAY MEANS Filed Nov. 12, 1927 Patented Mar. 25, 1930 UNITED STATES AUBREY B. LEECH, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA SHADOW-MOTION DISPLAY MEANS Application led November 12, 1927. Serial No. 232,877.

This invention relates to illuminated shadow motion display means and to methods of operating and using the same.

The main objects of the invention are to provide an improved and simplified form of shadow motion and transparency display device; to provide. such a device having but one movable element and adapted to picture simultaneously a plurality of non-interfering independent movements or operations on the same screen; and to provide for showing such independent movements each at any desired position on the receiving screen or picture.

An illustrative embodiment ofthis invention is shown by the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 represents a box-shaped embodiment of this invention in whichthe Xed part, including a housing cabinet and a pair of screens, is shown in middle vertical section and the movable animating member or shadow casting rotor is shown in side elevation.

Fig. 2 represents in front elevation a medial fragment of the intermediate screen.

Fig. 3 is mainly a similar view of the front screen, the intermediate screen and the two lamps being indicated in dotted outline.

Fig. 4 is a somewhat enlarged view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the front screen only.

In the construction shown in the drawings, the housing 1 has set in its front part a front screen 2 and an intermediate screen 3 spaced somewhat back of the. front screen. In the middle and back part of said housing is mounted a vertically aXled transparency rotor 4, said rotor being open at the bottom, and provided with a rotor part 5 at the top. Said rotor part is of the fan propeller type and has a central bearingsocket 6 resting on the pivot 7 which is set in a frame 7', the latter being secured to the bottom of the housing as at 8.

Mounted on the support 7 as at 7 and disposed axially in said rotor, one above the other, are a plurality of light sources, as for instance two incandescent electric lamps 9 and 10. The upright part of frame 7 is disposed eccentrically to accommodate the lamps, which preferably are of that type in which the light generating element or filament F is concentrated substantially at a polnt.

The front screen 2 may be designed in any one of many various ways, but in this instance the main part is artistically decorated and may be mainly opaque, with translucent portions or windows 1l and 12 pictured to represent certain animated or moving parts of the design to be shown, the part 1l being controlled or animated by the lower lamp 1() and the other part 12 being similarly affected by the upper lamp 9.

In order to provide for the control next above referred to, the intermediate screen 3 is provided with light transmitting parts or apertures 13 and 14, the former being in alinement with lower lamp 10 and the front screen part 11, and the other being in alinement with the upper lamp 9 and the front screen part 12. The main body part of this screen is substantially opaque.

In order to produce the desired kind of motion to be simulated on the front screen, the rotor 4, which is mainly transparent or translucent, is provided with two sets of fig uring or marking opposite the lower and upper lamps respectively. These markings are designed to produce the corresponding effects desired for the front screen parts 11 and l2. I-Ience, one part of the rotor, for instance at the lower end, may be provided with diagonal lines inclined in one direction and the upper end may be provided with diagonal' lines inclined in the opposite direction, or 1n various directions. In the embodiment shown, the fan 5 is designed to rotate the cylinder 4 toward the left as shown in Fig. 1, or in a clockwise direction as viewed from the top. This causes downwardly moving shadows to be cast by the lower part of the rotor on the front screen part 11 and, in this instance, alternately up and down movement of shadows by the upper part of the rotor on the front screen part 12.

In order to prevent interference of light rays from the upper and lower lamps,jan. opaque band l5 is provided medially on'th'e rotor cylinder 4. The path of the light rays and the limitation of effective illumination for each lamp is indicated by dotted lines on Figs. 1 and 3.

It is to be understood that by changing the locations of the apertures 13`and 14 ot the intermediate screen, as by interchangmg screens, the positions of animated effects onv the front screen 2 may be correspondingly varied. Furthermore. the number and shape of such apertures in the intermediate screen and corresponding animated portions on the iront screen may be varied or increased to meet specific needs. If desired, the front screen parts 11 and 12 may be only relatively translucent as compared with the rest of screen 2 and the body of screen 3. This device is especially adapted for pictorially featuring certain moving parts ot a machine or an object of any kind having one or more moving parts.

In order to minimize or prevent undesirable and confusing light. interference and releetions. as from the Yt'an and from the inside of the rotor cylinder, I paint certa-in parts of the lamb bulbs, as at 16 and 17, on the back sides and outer ends respectively. I also ypaint the adjacent front parts, as at 18, to supplement the eiiert ot band 15.

It is to be noted that the foregoing construction enables the production of diverse or opposite pictorial motion effect-s on different horizontally alincd portions of the receiving screen. This is because each kind ot' .motion is limited to a portion of the screen which is dominated by its own light source and by its own rotor part solely.

Although but one specific embodiment otl this invention has been herein shown and described, it 'will be understod that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted Without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. An illuminated shadow motion display device to show diverse co-zonal movements simultaneously and comprising in combination a transparency receiving screen to receive and show the display matter, a vertically aXled transparency rotor of figured design back of said screen, a pair of light producing elements disposed one above the other in said rotor, a light ray directing screen disposed between said receiving screen and said rotor, and a housing for said members, said ray directing screen having light transmitting parts corresponding respectively with and disposed convergently relative to said light producing elements to allocate the shadow display matter predeterminately at a common elevation on said receiving screen.

2. An illuminated shadow mot-ion device comprising in combination a transparency screen to show the subject matter as a whole and including spaced horizontally alined animated motion display portions, a vertically axled transparency rotor back of said screen, a plurality of light producing elements disposed in spaced relation at diverse elevations within said rotor, a light directing screen disposed between' said transparency screen 'and said rotor in spaced relation to each, and a housing for said members, said light directing screen having light transmitting parts .corresponding with and disposed diagonally from said light producing elements respectively, whereby the effect of each light producing element is limited to an appropriate predetermined part of said transparency screen, said directing screen parts being arranged diagonally relative to each other so as to aline with the animated motion display portions and corresponding lighting elements respectively.

3. In an apparatus for producing motion picture eiiects, a plurality of sources of light arranged one above another, an object screen having motion depicted thereon, a light transmittingmovable screen interposed between said sources of light and said object screen, and an intermediate screen for directing illustion eii'ects to different parts of said object screen, said movable screen having inclined opaque lines on a portion thereof for producing the illusion of motion in one direction, and differently inclined lines on another portion thereof for producing the illusion of motion in another direction, said stationary screen having diagonally arranged control parts alined respectively with said sources and corresponding sets of said lines, to cause the motion depicting parts to appear in horizontal alinement on said object screen.

Angeles this 12th day of 

